-LRB- CNN -RRB- Iraqi forces battling to wrest Tikrit from ISIS are now in control of the city , Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Tuesday on Iraqiya TV .

Al-Abadi , who is also the top military commander , said on state television that the city was liberated .

While al-Abadi has declared victory in the battle , pockets of fighting continues . Iraqi forces and Shiite militias are taking part in clearing operations .

Iraqi forces reached the center of Tikrit and hoisted the nation 's flag on top of the Governorate Building , al-Abadi said . Fighting continued on the outskirts of the city , he added .

Tikrit had been under ISIS control since June .

The push into Tikrit comes days after a series of U.S.-led airstrikes targeted ISIS targets around the city .

The airstrikes made it possible for the Iraqi forces to move through the city . Troops reported finding dozens of roadside bombs and booby-trapped buildings as they combed the city .

At a Cabinet meeting before he declared Tikrit liberated , al-Abadi was already calling the operation a success .

`` The success of the Tikrit experiment will be repeated in other areas because of the results it has achieved on the battlefield , on a humanitarian level , protecting civilians as much as possible , in addition to the low casualties amongst our security forces , '' he said .

Iraqi forces have tried multiple times to win back Tikrit since ISIS conquered the city as part of its campaign to amass an expansive Islamic caliphate but failed until now . This operation , however , was the biggest by the Iraqi military so far .

`` We managed to take -LRB- ISIS -RRB- by surprise , '' the Prime Minister said . `` And our air force ... in addition to coalition air force , helping Iraqi forces , managed to deal severe blows to ISIS and the enemies of Iraq . And our ground forces with the blood of Iraqis , Iraqis alone with their own blood , were able to liberate this land . ''

The latest push began after al-Abadi ordered Iraqi forces on March 1 to retake Tikrit and Salahuddin province .

Militants have been under pressure ever since in the battleground city , which is the birthplace of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and is located about 160 kilometers -LRB- 100 miles -RRB- north of Baghdad .

The Iraqi forces were aided by a coalition made up of mostly Shiite militiamen and volunteers .

The militia members , estimated to number around 20,000 , are backed by Iran . The offensive marked the first very overt participation of Iranian advisers on the front lines .

The victory in Tikrit sets the stage for Iraqi forces to take back an even bigger prize : Mosul .

Mosul is Iraq 's second-biggest city and the site of one of its military 's biggest embarrassments , when Iraqi troops dropped their weapons and ran rather than defend their posts last June .

A U.S. official said in February that up to 25,000 Iraqi troops plan to return to Mosul in April or May and , ideally , win it back . This comment came days after al-Abadi told the BBC that while there 's still work to do , he felt confident Iraqis could recapture the key northern city .

CNN 's Arwa Damon , Mohammed Tawfeeq , Jason Hanna and Mariano Castillo contributed to this report .

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ISIS still has some fighters in Tikrit ; joint forces are in clearing operations

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Prime Minister says that Tikrit is back under government control

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Government has its eyes on a bigger prize with the city of Mosul